1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an applicator, in particular a mascara brush, comprising a plurality of bristles which are held between two intertwisted wire sections, with the bristles passing through a helical reinforcing element.
2. Background Art
Applicators of the generic type are used for lots of purposes. A major field is the application of liquid mascara on the lashes or of hair dyes on the hair.
In mascara brushes of the generic type, it is especially important that, when dipped into the liquid mascara, they have sufficient transfer capacity for a certain quantity of liquid mascara to be taken from the reservoir and applied to the lashes, it being desirable that this application be uniform, without lumping, and that the lashes be combed and separated during application.
For the applicators to be adapted to a certain composition and viscosity of the liquid mascara or for certain make-up effects to be obtained, there are numerous familiar modifications in the selection and composition of the bristles. In particular, it has been disclosed to mix soft and hard bristles and/or to compose a trimming of short and long bristles so that part of the bristles may take on functions of application and another part predominantly functions of combing. However, the possibilities of modification are restricted in these conventional applicators, conditioned by manufacturing requirements.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,994 B1 teaches to surround the bristles by a reinforcing element of plastic material or wire of helical configuration, the diameter of which is less than the diameter of the trimming so that the bristles of the trimming may extend between the individual threads and rotate, but are nevertheless guided and separated.
A reinforcing element of this type reinforces a conventionally twisted applicator in such a way that even very few or especially fine and soft fibers can be used for application which, without the reinforcing element, would not be able to fulfil the desired properties of application and combing. This design further ensures the use of very few and/or thin fibers, accompanied with an increase in diameter of the wire core of the applicator by wire of greater diameter being used for the core; this helps efficiently counter any undesirable build-up of mascara around the wire core of the applicator, the individual windings of bristles, which are now further apart, being stabilized by the flexible spring element between two neighboring helical lines. This reduces any build-up of lumping and smearing mascara compound around the wire core as well as the deposit of unused mascara.
An applicator of this type can be suited to a specific purpose much better than conventional constructions, it being possible, in addition to parameters that involve the properties of intertwisted wire and bristles, also to vary the diameter and strength of the spring element.
Mascara brushes with comparable reinforcing elements are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,235 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,490.
A substantial drawback of familiar reinforcing elements, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,994 B1 of the species, resides in that the ends of the reinforcing element are open so that the ends of the wire, which are cut off, constitute a considerable risk of injury to a user's eyes in the process of putting makeup on.